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Jiijouren
The Jiijouren '''is a sapient species native to the planet '''Ranzhin. The race of evolved, intelligent arachnoids is significant for its array of cultured crafts and practices, spanning primarily across an interplanetary "silk road". Biology It is purported that the Jiijouren were once a race of large arachnid creatures at a height of 3 feet, but have since evolved to their current state. The average adult Jiijouri stands in the range of 7 to 8 feet, while some Jiijouren can seldom stand as high as 11 feet, and they live to about 380 years on average. Their 'skin' tones are often shades of grey with varied hair colors of subdued reds, browns, blues and purples on their head and shoulders. Jiijouren have a pair of primary eyes and four smaller eyes that allow for careful tracking of movements. The eyes can be a variety of colors. They lack an actual nose and ears, but are able to sense smell and sound through both the hair on their heads and special tiny hair-like structures (setae) on their arms and legs. All Jiijouren have four full arms, with two fingers and a thumb on each hand, while a small third pair of arms tend to be merely vestigial and remain close to waist; the males have slightly larger, more 'developed' third arms than the females do, and they are typically used in ritual mating practices. Their legs, especially their lower legs, have multiple segments ending out in points which they seem to be able to implausibly balance on, as if standing tiptoe, though sometimes they're depicted floating just barely. Also notably, they retain abdomenal extensions that allow to accomodate for added anatomical features. Jiijouren have three interconnected hearts, beginning in the middle chest area and extending into the abdomenal extension. Powerful lungs are housed in their upper chest, with additional auxillary storage sacs closer to the front; the females have significantly larger auxillary sacs in the area of their breasts. Two stomachs and the intestines take up the rest of the lower abdomen as well as about a third of the abdomenal extension, as well as reproductive tracts and sperm storage (a courted female can hold back fertilizing of eggs by choice), while silk glands extend through the rest of the abdomenal extension and extend out the back with spinnerets, able to produce excrete significant amounts of versatile and resilient silk; they are also able to produce through smaller glands in the arms and out of the hands. They also possess fangs of poison, connected to venom glands in their heads, that extend out when triggered. The venom is a strong neurotoxin that is quick to cause paralysis or even death to some victims. The Jiijouren are an omnivorous race, primarily relying on tactics to attain meat, but also can opt toward fruit and nectar. Interestingly, the Jiijouren's senses are heightened to the point of ESP (extra-sensory perception), allowing telepathy and clairvoyance. Further concentration is purported to allow for some extent of telekinesis. Society and Culture As a society, the Jiijouren are a composed and patient people, genial to others with a sense of nationalism and a strive for harmonic balance, under the guidance of a parliament, the Web of Constituents (or Chen-gu-Wan), whose affairs are overseen daily by the ruling Empress, and include her ministers and governors. The Jiijouren revel in the arts and crafts that they have meticulously perfected over ages from their own natural resources on Ranzhin and in the local planet system. Their naturally-produced Jiijouren silk has proven practical in anything from architectural foundations to tools, like nets for Jiijouren fishermen, simple fabrics for clothing, and is widely traded abroad and across worlds on a proverbial space Silk Road. The silk at the simplest provide use for great, intricate webs, which can be used for comfort, ritual practices, or as a trademark art form, likable to calligraphy practices. Their intricate herbal practices also have been built around another principal part of their biology; their venom. While the pure venom alone is enough to paralyze or kill, dedicated Jiijouri herbalists, apothecaries or pharmacists specialize in the ability to reverse the effects of the venom into a benevolent compound and, with the addition of various combinations of herbs or other ingredient, create elixirs and other medicine to treat a wide variety of symptoms and other afflictions. It is said that there is nothing that cannot be solved with a little Jiijouren venom. And perhaps a bit of nectar - gained on-world from native trees and treated as a key sugar/sweetener, or ingredient in various recipes, such as nectar beer, or simply added to tea. A third prominent treasure of Jiijouren culture is their practice of the native martial art system, Da Zhi Qan. It is a multi-faceted system based around the ideas of balance of core peace of mind and the three main forms: Ji-She (mind, psychic ability), Ji-Jie (body, physical ability), and Ji-Lin (soul, projection or exertion of energy/qi). Every school of Da Zhi Qan provides a style that is focused around one of the three forms of the art, or a variable combination of form. Notable elements of the art tend to be quick movements, use of extrasensory perception to read movements to the letter, and redirecting the force of opponents' attacks, as well as the addition of various weaponry; more advanced schools/techniques focus on psychic and energy projection in various forms, even using an innate notion of deception to misdirect opponents. In practice, the system of Da Zhi Qan is a literal 'web' that connects and interweaves all of the schools/styles of the art, and it is potentially possible to master all schools, thus being able to attain the right of being a true master of Da Zhi Qan. Category:Species Category:Jiijouren